The Kindness and Sternness of God
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36
In Romans 11:22 the Bible tells us that we should “consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God.” We need to understand that God is both a loving God and a just God; that he is both redeemer and judge.
The verse above, John 3:36, references both the kindness and sternness of God. It is God’s kindness, motivated by his love, that brought us a savior. But why do we need a savior? Because each of us is in jeopardy of judgment because each of us fallen short of living up to God’s righteous requirements. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
The great news is that God desires to save us from his righteous judgment and in his kindness put the judgment we deserve on Jesus, the only one who never sinned. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Romans 2:4 tells us that “God’s kindness is intended to lead us to repentance.” That’s why he sent his son to pay the penalty for the sins of all who will turn from their sin and believe on him to save them from God’s just and righteous judgment for their sin.
If you’ve never done so before, respond to God’s kindness today and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to be the Lord of your life. It will be the best decision you’ll ever make. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And it’s the only way to avoid having to face the sternness of God’s judgment.
Have you responded to the kindness of God?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.